My quilt studio is a mess!
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share a commission.My quilt studio is a mess!
I mean a huge disaster but there is a good reason!
Remember when I left on Tuesday to go babysit my granddaughter for a few days?
Well, on Thursday morning I did my usual check to see if there were any new houses listed up here (not really expecting one) and a new one had just come on the market! I read through the description and knew it just might be the one!
I immediately called our realtor, it was so new she didn’t even know about it and I asked if I could see it that morning. I then sent the information about it to Builder Bob.
When I got to look at the house I was sure this would be what we were looking for so I called him and told him to get up here right away!
We have been looking for several months and there aren’t that many to choose from. Several times we have found one that we liked and there would be an offer on it right after being listed.
I looked at the house in the morning and before Builder Bob could get up here, someone else had a appointment and there was someone looking at it Friday. My stomach was in knots until Builder Bob got up here!
Once Builder Bob saw the house we made an offer on it! I am happy to say that the offer was accepted and we will be the new owners of this house! Closing is the end of February or maybe sooner.
Our daughter recently moved here and bought a house that we both really, really like and now we have a house that is very similar! Her house is wider but the insides are very similar. Her house is about eight years older than ours which was built around 1897. This house is much, much smaller than the one we live in now.
I haven’t lived in a “town” for over 40 years and I wanted to lived somewhere that I could walk to shops and….to my daughter’s house. Look at how close we will be! I can’t wait!
Now you know the reason for the mess in my quilt studio! Two days ago it looked like this.
Now it looks like this!
I know we won’t be moving for a couple of months but I have a lot of quilting supplies to pack up. We also want to take the padded boards that are on the walls to display my quilt projects with us. I can’t imagine anyone else wanting them. They need to come down so holes can be patched.Â
My sliding design wall will also come with me and the shelves behind it. I did all of this yesterday after we found out our offer was accepted.
What I am doing is packing up things that I know I won’t need to use in the next couple of months. Poor Builder Bob is just shaking his head as he sees how much stuff I have.
The Bad News
I’m going to lose my big beautiful quilt studio! We will be living in a state of chaos for at least the next year. There is a bedroom upstairs that I will use as a temporary studio….it is small but at least I’ll have a space. Most of my things like my huge cutting table will be put in storage.
The Good News
We plan to add a master bedroom suite on the back of the house and……a quilt studio! This will be the first project. For now we will use the living room as our bedroom and not change much in the kitchen and dining room areas until after the addition is built.
We are excited! I love our home on the river and all of the space but it is time for a change.
We begin the next journey in our lives!
Excited for you about your new house. I love older homes, which is good. My family is one of those who buys, then updates. Holidays equal, “OK. Line up for your assignments. Your tools are over there.” I have raised my children similarly. For a while, after their dad left, we seemed to move every year. The kids, very young, really got into checking out the houses for rent. When we finally settled somewhere, the next several Autumns they continued to expect to move. Right now, my sewing room occupies the living room of this house. But we turned the master bedroom into the family room, and it is quite cozy. Also, I don’t have to fall asleep looking at that wallpaper with purple and black roses. Have fun!
Missed this post in the hubbub of sewing my getaway quilt, and packing for Mexico, but woo hoo! Congrats, and yes, to be that close to your daughter and grandkid(s) is fabulous for all concerned. The quilt studio plans sounds wonderful; I kind of know what you’re facing as I face this spring a major reno on my half–storey where I sew (not a full 2-storey house that looks a bit like yours from the sideview). Exciting times!
I don’t have anywhere near the amount of quilting “stuff” that you have, and the word STUFF will come up a lot of times for you in the next few weeks. Like you, it was all quite fast…, we viewed one day, made an offer that afternoon, and it was accepted that night. Not quite a panic situation, but a huge relief, My fabric boxes are still in the spare room that will become a “half bathroom with just toilet and vanity”, A friend said to me today, Remember the hare and the tortoise. It will all fall into place for you both, and Builder Bob will have plenty to keep him occupied. Heaps of so many good wishes from down here in NZ.
congratulations to you and your family. So much going on now for you. I will enjoy seeing your progress. Wishing you all the best in this life journey and resettling.
Hi again Connie! I didn’t get a chance to read this until now, but wanted to express my delight and give you {{Hugs}}. I would have (and did on our two moves) started packing things right away. How fabulous that you will be so close to your daughter!! That will just be the BEST thing ever. Quickly followed closely by a new quilt studio. Oh, just think how fabulous that will be! To design it the perfect way for you – I wonder how many drawing you have done in your head already?! I hope you keep us posted along the way – I love seeing blueprints and how your vision comes to life. ~smile~ Roseanne
Wow Connie ! I love the look of your new house and wish you all the very best with the move! Even looking at your studio inspires me! I have a little one I call my Happy Place! Your daughter will love to have you near too what a bonus! x
Congratulations Connie! I’m glad you and Builder Bob found a house you both will enjoy! What a blessing to live near your daughter! We downsized a couple of years ago and I loss my large sewing/storage area. Glad to read that you will get to design something new! How exciting!
I love adventures but this is a truly exciting one even if you will be inconvenienced for a while! It will be so sweet to be closer to your daughter that having to wait for your studio will be minor.
I’m starting a new adventure myself so will be enjoying watching as yours unfolds.
How exciting! I would love to live closer to my daughter too. I hope you like living in town, once you get used to the noises.
Congrats, Connie! I’ve lived in this house for 39 years and I just cannot fathom moving. I am disabled and the thought of moving is horrendous. We didn’t give a thought to our older years when we moved here. i’m fortunate that I have a downstairs bedroom and a full bath. I’m excited for you on your new adventure. It was perfect timing and meant to be. I hope you will continue to post about this adventure, too.
How exciting for you. I missed the posts about you wanting to move so need to ask, where are you moving? It will be so nice to be near your daughter and her family. With time, you’ll make this hime yours and you’ll have a studio, too. Wishing you the best!
Congratulations, its beautiful. I have a soft spot for these old homes and I drool over the limestone foundations. You definitely lucked out, we have been looking for 2 years.
Your news is wonderful and you and Builder Bob will make your new home yours! As a retired military wife and having three sons avtive duty I too look forward to the day of settling down close to my kids. Meanwhile its always a plane ride out of Hawaii. Enjoy . Now you can also get a do over on somethings you would change. Look forward to your progress!
How exciting for you!! This is wonderful, that you will build a new studio right away. And I can relate to wanting to be near your daughter. I have two married daughters. One has always lived close. The other in a neighborboring town. To most that isn’t far away, but to one who does not drive (me) it felt like she lived in another state! Well, now she lives just as close as my other daughter and I just love it! I still am surprised when she says she’s on her way to my house, that she gets here so quick!
I wish you much happiness in your new home.
Sometimes, your wishes come true and you are lucky enough to have all the pieces fall into place. I am so happy for you Connie, and look forward to the Builder Bob show happening in the near future. Is there a full basement in this older home? I see some small windows, but can’t tell if it’s a full basement or not. It’s definitely going to take some getting used to, since you are going from a large home close to the water, to a relatively small home, but being close to your daughter and grandchildren is incentive enough to make it all worthwhile. Young children grow up way too fast, so you want to be around for all their activities and special occasions. Move in date will be here before you know it Connie, so it’s never too early to begin packing. Lots of prayers and hugs for a smooth transition.
Hello Connie, I am so happy for you and Builder Bob to have found the house that you were really wanting and so close to your Daughter and Grandkids! As you know we are considering moving also and seeing the boxes and the excitement in your planning ahead brings great joy to my thoughts. I hope that all goes smoothly and I look forward to all of your posts from now until all of the remodeling is complete in your new home! Have a fantastic day!
hope you love living there
Can’t wait to follow your move. Brave lady. Good luck
Congratulations on finding your new home!! How exciting for you to be just 4 blocks from your grands!! How awesome is that!! After designing your current studio, I know your next studio will be even better…you don’t really know what will work until you have actually worked in the space. So very excited for you and will pray you have the strength and stamina you need to get through the packing and unpacking!
I am happy for you Connie. We thought about moving too, but opted to do a kitchen remodel instead because I like our little house and where it is located and I have moved so many times in my life, I finally feel settled here. We have been in this house 17 years now. Since I was born I have moved every 1-5 years, so I always felt like a gypsy and after a couple years living anywhere, I would get restless. But now that I am older the children have been on their own for several years, I feel like this is home. No place ever felt like home before here because we moved so much before. First with my parents and siblings and then with my husband and children. I know about packing and the unpacking and the stress of it all, but in the eventually it will be worth it. Will you change your name from Freemotion by the River to something else now? I am sure blogging and all will take a backseat to your moving and remodeling in the future, so I know if I don’t see you posting much, I will know why. Good luck.
Congratulations on your new home! Looking forward to watching your progress and the start of your next journey.
Congratulations, Connie. How fortunate that you were able to pounce on this ahead of anyone else. You have a lot of work ahead of you, but I’m sure it will be worth it. It will be fun to watch from here as you tailor this new home to your wants and needs.
What wonderful news, I hope this move is everything you wish it to be!
Congratulations on your new home! 💕
Oh My Goodness Connie. Congratulations! This will be a major change but one I believe you want and are ready to make. A new journey is exciting and exhausting. Please take care of you and Builder Bob whle you pack and decide what will work for the two of you. Being close to your daughter is such a blessing.
Wow! Big changes! The houses remind me of houses in western North Dakota. Paul and I thought about one very similar on the outside to the one you are buying. It had a wonderful finished attic perfect for a quilt studio, though. And it was in New England, North Dakota. I’ve several times, since his death, wished we’d bought it. The kitchens and baths were updated, but it was somewhere in the early 1900s built. Enjoy your new adventure!
Oh my gosh, Connie! The idea of moving makes me exhausted, but we do what we have to and then recover, right? And being close to your daughter and her family will be an amazing situation. I grew up with my aunt just down the block and now when I think about how great it was to just head down there and drop in, I can’t believe what a blessing that was. And when I would “go home” to her house until just last year, when she was in her 90’s, I realized even more how lucky we were to have such a secure situation, surrounded by adults who looked after us–with watchful eyes, for sure, but open doors came with that. Having a grandma close is a huge gift–and having a mom who can help out is amazing, as is the comfort of knowing your daughter will be there when you need her. Hooray for you for finding just the right house! I’m so happy for you!
Good luck to you in your new home.
Congratulations! How wonderful to be so close to your grand daughter. Our son and family moved back to town this past summer and now the grands are just 3 blocks away! Love that!
Congratulations, I am so happy for you. I totally understand how frustrating looking for a house & not settling. We went thru the exact same thing 6 months ago. Wanted to live in the same small, population 1,056, town as our grand babies. Now with the house we wanted & also only live a mile down the road from them.
I am so happy & excited for you. Many Blessings for you and your new home.
How exciting! Have fun with the move and the remodeling. I can’t imagine the packing will be fun. That’s the main reason we haven’t moved in 36 year. :0)
I am excited for you. You will miss your studio in your present house, but just keep your eyes on what your new studio will be like. Moving is a big job and should not be taken lightly. We moved from IL to AL 5 1/2 years ago to be near our oldest daughter. It was also time for us to downsize. I really miss my big sewing space that I had in IL, but love being here. I know you will enjoy being close to your daughter also. Glad you have the space to add on.
Congratulations on the House.
Hey Connie
Thanks for your welcoming email! Your picture of the snowy deck looks like mine! I’m in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada. We’re about an hour east of Toronto. Right on the lake. But now the snows gone and it’s just bitter cold. Yuck. Congrats on your move and I’ll take your old quilt studio! Lol. I’d love one that big. I just retired from Toronto Police and I’m trying to talk the kids into moving out to the country.
Well, I look forward to more from you and more pics too!
Regards, Carla
Congrats! A shame to lose that nifty studio, but it sounds like a great new home.
So happy to hear you found a house. Congratulations. Now lots of work in packing up and moving. Then unpacking what you feel you need some remodeling. So nice to be that close to your daughter. I am sure she is pleased to have you nearer her too. I am anxious to hear about this next chapter in your lives!!! Good luck with all you have to do and your big move. God Bless you all!!!
Congratulations on finding the nearly perfect place! Anyplace close to family is perfect! We’ll all be looking forward to updates on the new home. Blessings to you and Builder Bob!
Congratulations! Being close to family is a priority, in my opinion. Love the outside of your new home, and I know you will “make it yours” with the addition and your personal touches. Happy for you!
I looked at the photo of the new house and thought, “there’s not going to be a very big studio in that space”. But, of course, Builder Bob didn’t earn his nickname doing nothing. I’m glad you found something you’re happy with and will have the ability to improve and make it your own. It will be a busy year, but I’m sure you are up to the task.
I have a very small sewing room, but it is mine. I have fabric in two others room. I’m sure your new one, before the addition is larger than mine.
Enjoy the journey.
Oh Connie how exciting that you found a home that you love and will be making it your and Builder Bob’s own. I know having a smaller studio isn’t good but at least you have a dedicated space even if it is smaller to call your own until you can get your perfect one completed. The nice thing about your next studio is that you’ll know exactly how to design it to fit everything you need. I will look forward to seeing your new space once it is built. The one thing that I always make sure I have is a design wall and hopefully you’ll be able to have one in your temporary space. Looking forward to future posts from you.
Congrats Connie, wish I had the nerve to find a bigger place and still have my sewing room.
I am 83 years, and sewing is my therapy, I work every day!
I recently discovered your site and ” I AM IN LOVE”
Thank you sooo much,
Congrats Connie, wish I had the nerve to find a bigger place and still have my sewing room.
I am 83 years, and sewing is my therapy, I work every day!
I recently discovered your site and ” I AM IN LOVE”
Thank you sooo much,
How exciting Connie! Congratulations to you both! I read the subject line of your email and said “UhOhh” because I really didn’t need to read the post as I knew that meant you had found THE house and snatched it up right away.
I know you were on pins and needles wondering how soon a house would appear and one that you’d be interested in as well. It may be a slower market for homes selling there, but all it takes is that one perfect house to show up and have it be exactly what you want. OR at least have the “bones” you want and can add onto and build your dream home/studio. 🙂
Not only will you be thrilled to be closer to your daughter, but your granddaughter will be SUPER thrilled to have Grandma and Grandpa so close. Gosh, now you need to make room in that new studio for a little baby studio for your granddaughter with her own little cutting table, sewing machine, and space for a fabric stash too. You may as well get her addicted now and start teaching her, right? LOL
Congratulations! The “new” house is beautiful….looks like the best of both worlds….a country home in a town! I look forward to posts about the addition and your new life. Nothing would please me more than for my 3 daughters and 4 grandbabies to live close by! You’re a blessed soul!
Congratulations. This is wonderful news. I love how close your new home is to your daughters. How fun for you and Builder Bob to be able to walk over to her home, as well as for the gkids to be able to visit so easily. Absolutely wonderful. And, I’m glad to hear you will kickstart your new home with adding a master and a sewing room. I think you are going to be so happy in your new home. It is beautiful and I’m sure you’ll enjoy your neighbors and the ability to walk in a community.
How thrilling, Connie. I can imagine the stress level you must have felt until Builder Bob arrived. It looks like a great location and the new addition will make it the perfect new home for you. It looks like a beauty with real “bones” too. I’ll be looking forward to seeing pictures from the inside. Have fun packing. That would be my worst nightmare, but a good way to purge.
Happy happy you are, makes one smile just to read your post. I also will miss the beautiful pictures of your present home but more beautiful is to live close to your family. Always looking forward to your posts, I love them. Blessing to you and we cannot wait to see your future in quilting.
How fun! The new house in town will be delightful since you will be close enough to WALK to your daughter’s home. I was concerned about the “loss” of your quilt studio until I got to the end! It is great that you can design it yourself.
Thanks Gene! My husband and I designed this one and it will be even more fun to design the next quilt studio!
Congratulations on your new home. We are sure going to miss those beautiful photos on the lake, but look forward to seeing new sights from your new digs!
Thanks Joan! I’m sure I’ll find a park or some place to take pictures!
That is so exciting! I live about 1/2 mile from my mom and I just LOVE that she’s so close.
That is so neat Suzy! I am really looking forward to it!
Congratulations on your new house. New surroundings, new inspiration. Looking forward to seeing your new studio in some months. I miss living close to my daughter and grandson. But I know I can’t move down here. I have all my friends at the west coast.